There’s always a lot of action going on around First Book, and to give a little taste of that to all you lovely readers, I thought I’d talk a bit about what it’s like to be a Social Enterprise Fellow at First Book.

I started here in the middle of June, so I’ve got a couple months of experience under my belt, which is a nice feeling. There are two Fellows at First Book though, and my counterpart Diane just started last week. I’m so happy to have someone sharing this little office with me again! Fortunately, we both seem to like the same music, which is very important in an office buddy.

The job of Social Enterprise Fellow is entry-level, but only in the sense that the folks who hold this title are typically just starting out in their careers. We are actually highly integrated into First Book’s daily operations. Thanks to the amazing team of people we each work with, we get an immediate, hands-on introduction to the non-profit sector and specifically to the concept of cause marketing.

The first few weeks on the job are largely spent sitting in on meetings, conference calls, and brainstorming sessions that give us all the basic information we need about First Book and its operations. And of course while we’re doing all that, we’re also learning how to ship packages, order catering, and work our voicemail. But for me anyway, those first few weeks have passed, and I’m definitely noticing that my workload has increased. People at First Book work hard.

This morning, Diane and I walked down to the office supply store and picked up some much needed organizational tools: dry-erase boards and bulletin boards. Somehow just having them up on the wall makes me feel more productive. Some of the things we’re working on today include:

• Building a demo flash presentation on Power Point
• Drafting letters and assembling awards
• Writing this blog post
• Learning how to create mailing lists and send emails from one of our many databases
• Coordinating a small book distribution in conjunction with one of our corporate partners
• Researching potential literacy partners
• Reviewing a proposal with Kyle that we drafted
• Eating lunch. Hey, a girl’s got to eat!

On that note, I think it’s time to wrap this up. But for those of our readers who are in college and want to get into the non-profit sector but aren’t sure where to start, I hope you’ll consider First Book’s Fellowship program. I couldn’t have asked for a more thorough or fast-paced introduction to this amazing cause!